The HMS Adventure is a sleep-away event, designed to encourage independent reading and writing through adventure. It will take place 6th-7th July 2019 and is open to year 6 pupils and their teachers.

Five groups will be selected to participate. You can apply with two groups, but there is no guarantee both will be invited to join the event. Each group must attend with their own teacher. We have space for the following:

Girls: x2 groups of ten pupils

Boys: x1 group of ten pupils, and x2 groups of eight pupils

To be eligible to apply for the HMS Adventure:

your group must be comprised of solely year 6 pupils

your school must be based in the UK, but from outside Greater London

your school must have at least 40% pupil premium pupils

access to the mess decks is by steep ladder only. Unfortunately, the event is not suitable for wheelchair users or anyone unable to ascend/descend a ladder unaided

All teachers must have an enhanced DBS check

Due to sleeping arrangements on board the HMS Belfast:

groups must be single sex

groups must attend with a teacher of the same gender

These terms are non-negotiable. A travel bursary will be available and we hope will cover all costs. Deadline for applications: 4pm on Monday 29th April

If you have any further questions, please contact submissions@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org

Please read the guidelines before submitting your entry for Author of Tomorrow (16-21 years). Submission of entry is taken to be an unqualified acceptance of these rules:

The competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English

Submissions must be 1,500 - 5,000 words in length

You may submit multiple works. Each entry must be submitted separately and will be considered a separate entry

Entries must be submitted digitally, as a Microsoft Word .doc, .docx or a .pdf file. Please contact submissions@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions about file type

There must be no reference to the author's name or personal details in the manuscript. We operate a blind judging process

If your entry is shortlisted it will be published by our partners at Worldreader and used to improve global literacy levels

We reserve the right:

to disqualify any entry if we have reasonable grounds to believe that the entrant has breached any of these rules. We cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition

to amend these rules where it is deemed necessary to do so or where circumstances are beyond our control

to not award the first prize, where circumstances are beyond our control, or if the judges’ overall verdict is that the level of entries is not up to the required standard

We will act in accordance with current UK data protection legislation in relation to your personal data. All personal data entered is secure.

Prize: £100 plus £150 in book tokens for your school, library or charity of choice. Your story will also be published digitally with Worldreader

Please read the guidelines before submitting your entry for Author of Tomorrow (12-15 years). Submission of entry is taken to be an unqualified acceptance of these rules:

The competition is open to writers of any nationality writing in English

Submissions must be 1,500 - 5,000 words in length

You may submit multiple works. Each entry must be submitted separately and will be considered a separate entry

Entries must be submitted digitally, as a Microsoft Word .doc, .docx or a .pdf file. Please contact submissions@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions about file type

There must be no reference to the author's name or personal details in the manuscript. We operate a blind judging process

If your entry is shortlisted it will be published by our partners at Worldreader and used to improve global literacy levels

We reserve the right:

to disqualify any entry if we have reasonable grounds to believe that the entrant has breached any of these rules. We cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition

to amend these rules where it is deemed necessary to do so or where circumstances are beyond our control

to not award the first prize, where circumstances are beyond our control, or if the judges’ overall verdict is that the level of entries is not up to the required standard

We will act in accordance with current UK data protection legislation in relation to your personal data. All personal data entered is secure.

Prize: £100 plus £150 in book tokens for your school, library or charity of choice. Your story will also be published digitally with Worldreader

Please read the guidelines before submitting your entry for Author of Tomorrow (11 and under). Submission of entry is taken to be an unqualified acceptance of these rules:

The competition is open to young writers of any nationality writing in English

Submissions can be up to 500 words in length, please do not exceed the word limit

You may submit multiple stories. Each story must be submitted separately and will be considered a separate entry

Entries must be submitted digitally, as a Microsoft Word .doc, .docx or a .pdf file. Please contact submissions@wilbur-niso-smithfoundation.org if you have any questions about file type

There must be no reference to the author's name or personal details in the manuscript. We operate a blind judging process

If your entry is shortlisted it will be published by our partners at Worldreader and used to improve global literacy levels

We reserve the right:

to disqualify any entry if we have reasonable grounds to believe that the entrant has breached any of these rules. We cannot accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrant entering the competition

to amend these rules where it is deemed necessary to do so or where circumstances are beyond our control

to not award the first prize, where circumstances are beyond our control, or if the judges’ overall verdict is that the level of entries is not up to the required standard

We will act in accordance with current UK data protection legislation in relation to your personal data. All personal data entered is secure.